1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to support members which are used for display purposes and more particularly, to a Bingo card support which is characterized in a preferred embodiment by a generally rectangular support frame oriented at a desired angle with respect to the vertical by means of adjustable legs and provided with spaced, horizontally disposed card support members. In a most preferred embodiment of the invention the card support members are biased against the support frame and are capable of full or partial retraction into the support frame to facilitate a flat surface which can be used as a game board or utility table upon reorientation of the supporting legs.
In playing the game of Bingo, several players obtain as many cards as they are each capable of handling under game conditions and these cards are deployed so as to be easily seen. Each of the cards is divided into twenty-five squares which are arranged in five rows, both horizontally and vertically. The vertical rows are aligned with the letters B-I-N-G-O, respectively, printed along the top margin of the card and each card is printed with a separate sequence of numbers. A "free" space is printed in the center of each card and in the process of playing the game, numbered and lettered tokens are drawn and the inscribed numbers and letters announced to the players, who place a blank marker on each number and letter combination printed on their card which corresponds to the number and letter combination announced. When a player completes five squares in a horizontal or vertical row, or in one of the two diagonal rows, that player calls "Bingo" and wins the game. It is apparent that the chance of winning increases with the number of cards played. However, there is a practical limit to the number of cards which can be effectively played, since the letter and number sequences are announced in rapid succession and a player must possess a particularly good aptitude for the game in order to maintain as many as four cards in each game. Another practical limitation in playing multiple Bingo cards is the limited space available to each player and the difficulty in arranging more than two cards in a spatial orientation which is conducive to rapid playing of each card. This problem is intensified by the game rules, which require that the cards be rapidly cleared of markers at the end of each game and the letter-number tokens again called in rapid succession. Under ordinary circumstances, the Bingo cards procured by the players are arranged in a desired order on a flat table or playing surface and a supply of markers is usually placed in a pile on the table or playing surface near the players. An additional problem is sometimes realized in the dexterity of handling the markers, a problem which is directly proportional to the number of cards played.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices have been proposed for supporting Bingo cards for easy reference in locating and covering random numbers on the cards with tokens or markers of various description. Some of these prior art devices are designed to remain flat in a horizontal orientation in order to avoid spilling discrete markers which are individually placed on the respective numbers printed on the cards. Other Bingo card holders are positioned at an angle with respect to the horizontal to better handle multiple cards fitted with mechanically operated markers. Typical of these devices is the "Holder Board for Bingo Games" disclosed by John J. Burns in U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,806, dated July 22, 1975. The Burns device includes a pair of foldable sections which open to form an A-shaped structure fitted with longitudinal card supporting flanges on each side and wires carrying Bingo markers. A pair of supporting legs are attached to the structure by means of hinges. U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,680, dated May 21, 1974, to Frederick E. Benesch discloses a "Bingo Card Holder" which includes several interlinked boards designed to support multiple Bingo cards. Removable legs are attached to the boards in order to facilitate support of the device in a player's lap at a selected angle. A "Game Board" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,216, dated July 29, 1969, to A. L. Harrison, which device is foldable and is shaped from a thermoplastic material having a hinge portion which is said to increase in strength proportionately to the number of times that the board is folded. T-shaped divider strips are secured to the board for dividing the board into card-holding areas. U.S. Pat. No. 2,872,215, dated Feb. 3, 1959, to H. A. Taylor discloses a foldable, flexible backing sheet and pocket members oriented on the backing sheet in spaced relationship for removably securing multiple Bingo cards on the backing sheet. Spaces between the pocket members facilitate folding of the backing sheet to stack the pocket members in folded configuration. A "Rapid Marker-Disposal Bingo Game Board Holder" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,784,973, dated Mar. 12, 1957, to F. J. Nemec, which holder is characterized by a hinged board member carrying trays for storing markers, which trays cooperate to define a common storage facility for the markers when the board is in folded configuration. The playing board and accompanying trays are designed to facilitate rapid sweeping of markers from playing cards positioned on the board into the trays without spilling the markers.
It is an object of this invention to provide a Bingo card support which is portable, easy to handle and is sufficiently large to accommodate several conventional or mechanical marker Bingo cards simultaneously in an easily reached array.
Another object of the invention is to provide a portable Bingo card support which in one embodiment is capable of displaying multiple Bingo cards while playing the game of Bingo and in another embodiment can be used as a game board or utility table.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved Bingo Card Support which includes a support frame, multiple longitudinal card support members cooperating with the support frame and adjustable legs supporting the support frame at a selected angle for receiving multiple Bingo cards having mechanical markers, which cards are carried by the support members in one embodiment, the legs adjustable to support the support frame in a horizontal configuration as a game board or utility table, in a second configuration.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved portable Bingo card support of superior versatility, strength and durability, which support is inexpensive to produce and maintain.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a portable Bingo card support which is characterized by a support frame of sufficient size to accommodate several Bingo cards in one embodiment and multiple card support members which can be recessed in the frame to present a smooth surface for use in such applications as a clip board, dart board, bulletin board, music or magazine rack and a utility table, in other embodiments.